Vanilla Twilight
by habitualnon-sleeper
Summary: It's been two months since Wally's passing and Artemis feels worse than ever. Jade and Lian comfort her. (One-shot)
**Author's Note:** I'm going to be doing a Spitfire week think in April (hopefully I'll get started soon, but mostly I'm just procrastinating working on Kid Flash and the other dimension). So here's an Owl City inspired thing and a moment between sisters and a niece.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Young Justice or "Vanilla Twilight" or Owl City.

* * *

Artemis hates how sad she felt right now. She's never been shy with her emotions - not with anger or annoyance, happiness. But she was never sad. Artemis Crock is far too tough to be sad. It had already been two months since Wally had disappeared, and she hasn't even began to reassemble her life. Sure, Tigress seems collected. But Artemis Crock is not.

She's laying in their bed, "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City playing on loop, conjuring memories of eighth grade and Wally. The song was sadder than she rememberes it every time, but it covered what was going through her mind so perfectly. She hadn't slept a full night since the . . . accident.

Most nights she wasn't out as Tigress, she just laid in bed and played this stupid song over and over again. Some nights she cried, others she jammed her mouth full of ice cream and forced back tears with the only light of the room being her laptop.

Tonight was a crying night. Her legs were curled to her chest and the tears flowing freely. "Why?" She sobs, her voice muffled by her own tears and sticky crying mouth. "It's not fair. We didn't even get to go to Paris . . . It'snotfair." The room was cold, but her body was far too hot.

A light comes on in the hallway, but she's too off guard to notice.

"Artemis?" Her sister calls."Artemis? It's Jade and Lian!"

The blonde jumps, realizing that she has a visitor. "I - uhm. One sec Jade," she says, trying to clear the sadness from her voice. She closes her laptop and rubs her eyes, praying that they're not too red.

The older woman pushes the door the rest of the way open and steps in. "There you are," Jade says softly re positioning Lian in her arms. "I've been worried about you." She flicks on the light and looks around. The dark room was more than the average college student mess, and so was her sister. Jade tries not to let her smile waver, she had to seem friendly for her baby sister's sake. "Hold Lian for a second," she says, carefully handing the red headed child over.

She pulls a pack off her back and pulls out two pints of ice cream. "I brought ice cream, but it looks like you've already been enjoying it."

Artemis glances around, realizing the clutter of empty pints on the floor and the sticky spoon on her bed stand. She had.

Jade sits down, bouncing gently on the bed. "I don't know if you can get me to leave now," she jokes as she digs two spoons from her pocket. She sets one and one of the pints in Artemis's lap before taking Lian back and opening her own.

"Why are you here? - Not that I didn't want to see you or anything."

"I've been worried about you,"Jade states. "I keep pretty close tabs on my baby sister, and I'd say that crying in her room every night and listening to the same song on repeat isn't really her character."

Artemis casts her eyes down. "I guess not."

The older girls smirks. "That's what I thought. You've been spending too much time alone, you have family for a reason. And who better than your sister and your niece to show you." Lian yawns and stretches at the mention of her name.

Artemis giggles, every so slightly. "Right as always."

"And now we're gonna eat this ice cream and watch Netflix?" Jade adds, cocking a brow.

"Definitely."

Artemis leans across Jade's lap and picks up the laptop, the song filling the air as she hurries to turn it off.

"You used to listen to this when you were in middle school."

"I know."

"So you know how it ends?"

"Of course," Artemis snorts.

Jade nods. "Of course you do . . . _'When violet eyes grow brighter, and heavy wings grow lighter. I'll taste the sky and feel alive again,'_ " she sings.

" _'And I'll forget the world I knew, but I swear I won't forget you. Oh if my voice could reach back through the past, I'd whisper in you ear: 'Oh darling, I wish you were here,'_ " Artemis completes. The words hit her hard and she's taken back for the briefest moment.

"Thanks Jade," she mumbles, offering a little smile to her big sister.


End file.
